Mosaic Esterhazy K3 mine, part of Associated Mining Construction Incorporated (AMC) is located approximately four kilometers east of the town of Esterhazy, and is an expansion of Mosaic’s potash mining operations at the Esterhazy site.

The K3 mine is the largest potash mine in the world with an annual capacity of 5.3 million tons. The expansion project of the new Greenfield K3 mining complex at Esterhazy has added an additional 1 million tons to their annual output.

The K3 complex is comprised of two 20-foot diameter shafts sunk to a depth of approximately 3,700 feet below collar together with the necessary service shaft headframe and hoists, ventilation circuits and the associated surface infrastructure.

The K3 complex has a 65’ x 120’ Atlas building series that is used for cold storage. “We needed a cold storage facility. The fabric covered buildings offered by Britespan was not only the most cost effective solution, but they were able to install the buildings quickly, within the short timeframe that we required,” said Adam Klein, Corporate Purchasing Coordinator for AMC. “We were also able to fasten the buildings to a two-row concrete block foundation, making them temporary and portable structures. This was important because we wanted to flexibility to use the buildings at multiple sites.”

The building was constructed on a foundation of concrete blocks two rows high, for a total height of 5’. The original tender and bid specified a foundation of helical piles. After a site inspection, however, Vertical Building Solutions determined the hard ground rock was not conducive for the original foundation type. In addition, the customers wanted the structure to be portable, so the concrete block foundation was the best option for their overall requirements.

“Our Britespan Authorized Dealer really understood our industry, and what our needs were in a building. All of our questions were always answered, and again everything was so timely, which was important.”